1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a balanced braking system, particularly to a balanced braking system, which applies a braking force uniformly on the front and rear wheels of a bicycle, such that better stability is achieved and skidding is avoided.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional braking systems for bicycles mostly have two independent brakes for the front and rear wheels, which are driven by two independent cables and operated by a left handle and a right handle on a handlebar. This arrangement enables a user to stop the bicycle. However, during braking the two brakes are not operated at exactly the same time. Furthermore, the tension of the two cables is not equal. Therefore, unequal braking forces are applied at different times on the front and rear wheels. One of the wheels may block, while the other is still rolling. Thus the braking effect is reduced, the bicycle possibly starts to skid or even falls over.
Apart from the problem of unequal forces applied at different times, conventional brakes for bicycles use pairs of right and left pincers, which do not apply equal frictional forces. As shown in FIG. 11, a conventional brake 60 for a bicycle wheel with a rim comprises left and right pincers 61, 62, pulled towards each other by a pulling cable 63 for applying a braking force on the rim; a connecting cable 64, operated by a handle; and a hook 65 for connecting the pulling cable 63 and the connecting cable 64. The hook 65 is a bent metal plate, which guides the pulling cable 63 and takes the pulling cable 63 along, so as to pull the left and right pincers 61, 62 towards each other.
However, if the bicycle wheel has an uneven rim or a rim with an uneven surface, the bicycle wheel during rotation will not keep uniform distances to the left and right pincers 61, 62, and in the moment of braking, the left and right pincers 61, 62 will touch the rim at different times, and unequal braking forces will be applied.
Therefore, there is a need to adjust the time of contact of the left and right pincers 61, 62 and the rim automatically to ensure symmetric and even braking and avoiding a reduced braking effect and a risk of skidding.
In conventional bicycle brakes, a large frictional force occurs between the pulling cable 63 and the hook 65, so an asymmetric braking force of the left and right pincers 61, 62 on the rim is not easily compensated by gliding of the pulling cable 63 within the hook 65. Thus an insufficient braking effect and a risk of skidding result.